The Yankees four game sweep of the Red Sox has changed the look of the AL East standings because the Red Sox had been favored to win the division. The Yankees have caught fire in the past couple weeks and have gone from 4+ games back to 6.5 games up (prior to playing aug. 10). The four game sweep is not as important as ESPN may indicate because the Yankees and the Red Sox will most likely make it to the playoffs as the AL East champ and the Wild Card representative. Right now the Yankees hold the best record in baseball and the Red Sox are the Wild Card leaders in the AL.
The season is a marathon so I think it is unwise to talk playoff matchups and World Series predictions at this point of the season. Though MLB would love to have the NY Yankees back in the World Series, the Yankees must fight off the Red Sox, D-Rays, Angels, Rangers, and Tigers/WhiteSox prior to reaching the World Series.
Many experts have now placed the NY Yankees at the top of their power rankings because the hitting has been solid and the pitching is finally coming around. At this point, it is difficult to ascertain whether the Yankees pitching has truly improved. To be honest… I think the NY pitching has just gotten hot and will return to reality shortly. By the end of the day, the Yankees 4-game sweep of the Red Sox will be forgotten by the media. There are about 50 games left in the season, which means there is plenty of baseball left to play.